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BYD’s next product for India, the Seal sedan, has been spotted on the outskirts of Chennai. Sources tell us that the Seal sedan will go on sale sometime in early March 2024, however, dealers have already begun accepting bookings unofficially. The Seal EV sedan made its India debut at last year's Auto Expo 2023.
- BYD Seal gets two powertrain options
- Top variant gets up to 700km range
- Will be BYD’s third product for India
BYD Seal sedan: exterior highlights
The Seal is 4,800mm long, 1,875mm wide and 1,460mm tall. The sedan inherits design cues from the Ocean X concept from 2021, while also following BYD’s “ocean aesthetics” design language. It also continues the ocean-themed nomenclature in BYD’s EV range; the brand also has the Dolphin on sale in select international markets.
The Seal's styling includes a coupe-like all-glass roof, flush-fitting door handles, four boomerang-shaped LED daytime running lights, split headlamp design and a full-width LED light bar at the rear.
BYD Seal sedan: features and tech
The BYD Seal gets a rotating 15.6-inch infotainment display that's similar to the Atto 3 SUV and e6 MPV. The driver gets a separate 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster and a head-up display. The floating touchscreen is surrounded by the central AC vents, and directly under it are the drive selector and a scroll wheel to select the various drive modes. The centre console also houses basic controls for functions like the heated windscreen, volume control for the audio system and two wireless charging pads. The interior gets plenty of gloss black inserts, with contrasting dashboard shades and speakers integrated into the door handles, similar to the Atto 3 SUV.
BYD Seal sedan: powertrain and range
Globally, there are two battery options on offer – a 61.4kWh unit with up to 500km CLTC range and an 82.5kWh unit that has up to 700km range. Both batteries get blade tech, similar to other BYD cars, and while the smaller battery can be charged at rates of up to 110kW, the larger battery is capable of charging at speeds of up to 150kW.
The Seal gets two powertrain options – a single-motor and dual-motor. The former can be paired to both batteries, but the dual-motor can only be had with the larger battery. Sources tell us that Indian models are expected to get the dual-motor, all-wheel drive powertrain set-up. Combined, both motors churn out 530hp and are capable of a claimed 0-100kph time of 3.8sec, and this makes it more powerful than the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and the Kia EV6.
BYD Seal: India launch details
Though BYD dealers have already begun taking bookings for the Seal unofficially, deliveries will commence only once prices are announced; a starting price of around Rs 50 lakh is expected.
BYD Seal sedan: rivals
The Seal will be BYD’s third new product for India in the passenger vehicle space, following the Atto 3 SUV and the e6 MPV – the latter is primarily aimed at the fleet market. With the stylish Seal sedan, BYD will have a contender to take on the likes of the Kia EV6 and the Hyundai Ioniq 5 in our market.
BYD rivals Tesla globally
BYD Auto has sold 5,26,409 EVs in the final quarter of last year, in comparison to Tesla’s 4,84,507 units. However, the Chinese carmaker sold close to 1.6 million EVs in the year, while Tesla sold 1.8 million units. BYD also posted a year-on-year growth of 73 percent.
BYD’s advantage over Tesla in India
Tesla has been wooing the Indian Government for a number of years to try and establish a presence here. BYD, on the other hand, entered the Indian market in 2021, and already has two models on sale. Tesla's potential entry into the Indian market is still not final and the manufacturer has planned a minimum investment of USD 2 billion (approximately Rs 16,665 crore) for setting up a manufacturing plant, pending government approval. There were talks of an official announcement of Tesla’s India entry at last month’s Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, but no announcement was made at the event.
Also see:
BYD reveals new U7 flagship luxury EV sedan
BYD Seal EV, localised Atto 3 SUV launch pushed to 2024
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